1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an assembly of metal-coated carbon fibers, and a method for its use. More specifically, the invention relates to an assembly of metal-coated carbon fibers suitable for the production of carbon fiber-reinforced metal, a process for the production thereof, and a method for use thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Composite materials of metals and reinforcing carbon fibers are useful as light-weight structural materials having both the high elasticity, high strength and light weight of the carbon fibers and the shapability, heat stability, electrical conductivity and heat conductivity of the metals. In the production of these composite materials, it is difficult to bond the reinforcing carbon fibers uniformly and firmly to the matrix metal, and mold them into the desired shape. This is because in the production of a carbon fiber-reinforced metal by mixing a molten metal matrix with carbon fibers (for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,488), uniform mixing is difficult, and in the production of a composite material by laminating carbon fibers and a matrix metal foil and consolidating them under heat and pressure (for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,661), the bond strength between the carbon fibers and the metal is low, and delamination tends to occur. Furthermore, in these methods, metals which tend to form carbides by reaction with carbon fibers reduce the strength of the composite materials.
Methods are also known in which a carbon fiber bundle dipped in molten metal in the production of carbon fiber-reinforced metal (for example, as disclosed U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,770,488 and 3,894,863) is used. Because of its low flexibility, the fiber bundle obtained by this process has poor operability in the production of a carbon fiber-reinforced metal of complicated shapes.